Exbourne Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Exbourne Church of England Primary School Exbourne, Okehampton, Devon EX20 3SQ

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Outcome

Exbourne Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘Live, love, learn’ are the guiding principles for pupils at Exbourne Church of England Primary School. Pupils model these well in their attitudes to learning and their conduct. Staff encourage this through the high expectations they have of pupils. Pupils talk positively about roles they hold. These include ‘Values Champions’ who look for others showing the school’s Christian values. Pupils are also involved in improving the school grounds. Pupils know the school’s current focus is ‘courage’ and how this includes being brave in even the smallest of things.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know pupils well. Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe. They understand the expectations of their behaviour. Pupils appreciate the recognition they get for their positive behaviour through rewards such as the ‘golden tickets’. They talk enthusiastically about the awards they earn in worship time at the beginning of the week.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show respect and kindness to those around them. They encourage and support each other in their learning and play. Pupils say that bullying is rare. They are confident that staff would sort out any problems quickly, should they occur.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Many elements have been reviewed recently to take the impact of COVID-19 into consideration. Pupils talk confidently and eagerly about their learning. For example, they recall their learning about migration in geography and different artists in art and design. In early years, children learn to solve problems by playing imaginatively together. When building shelters for animals, children thought carefully about how to design it. They use ambitious vocabulary in their learning, for example, to describe their structures. Teachers use effective questioning and modelling to deepen children’s thinking and learning.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have made sure that the revised curriculum, in most subjects, details the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. Teachers now revisit learning regularly 30 March 2022

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and check pupils’ understanding. Misconceptions are identified quickly. This ensures that pupils can build on what they know and remember important knowledge. However, although most pupils are achieving well in mathematics, some older pupils still have fundamental gaps in their knowledge. For example, in telling the time and understanding money. Consequently, some pupils are not equipped as well as they should be for using mathematics in everyday life.

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There is a whole school culture of prioritising reading. Although using a very new approach, the teaching of early reading is organised well. Staff teach phonics effectively. They are well trained and children learn phonics from the start of their time in school. Older pupils enjoy reading. They are keen to discuss authors and genres that they like. Pupils understand the importance of reading and describe how school helps them to do this. Staff read to pupils regularly and pupils talk about this enthusiastically.

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Leaders work with staff to identify the pupils who need extra help. Nevertheless, at times, a few pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the support they need. Leaders design support which includes the views of pupils and parents. However, this support is not always consistently precise or include enough information about what pupils need, in order to learn the full curriculum. Consequently, there are times when teachers do not always adapt learning most effectively.

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Pupils explore many aspects of the wider curriculum. For example, pupils learn about equalities and can discuss issues around gender stereotypes. Pupils successfully recall their learning about how to keep themselves safe. There is a rich offer for developing pupils’ spirituality and moral awareness. This is based on the Christian ethos of the school. Leaders ensure that they promote pupils’ social development well. They work closely with the local community and other schools for various events and residential activities.

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Staff appreciate the actions that leaders take in relation to their workload. Staff feel valued and are proud to work in the school. They recognise how working together with the trust supports this. The local stakeholder board has an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders act quickly on concerns that staff bring to their attention. Staff are trained well and receive regular and up-to-date information. As a result, they know what to do if a pupil is at risk. Effective use is made of external support when appropriate. The school keeps detailed records on the suitability of staff to work in the school.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to gain the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe, for example understanding the concepts of consent and personal privacy and when online. 30 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Individual support for some pupils with SEND is not always as well focused as it needs to be. Consequently, some pupils do not get the best targeted support they need. Leaders must ensure that pupils with SEND consistently receive the high-quality support that they need to overcome their difficulties and access their learning with greater success.  There are some gaps in important knowledge that pupils need to know in mathematics. These prevent them from being as well prepared for their next stage in their learning as they could be. Some pupils do not have a secure understanding of important concepts that are necessary for them in day-to-day life. Leaders need to ensure that the mathematics curriculum is suitably ambitious for all pupils, including for those pupils who have gaps in their knowledge.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Exbourne Church of England Primary School, to be good on 14 and 15 January 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 30 March 2022

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 30 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227686 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.exbourne-primary.devon.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Exbourne Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy school in January 2018, when it joined Dartmoor multi-academy trust. The school is part of the Dartmoor Hub of six schools which forms part of the larger multi-academy trust.  The school uses one alternative provision. This is Ofsted registered.  The school is a voluntary-controlled Church of England school. The school has not had a section 48 inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, staff and members of the local stakeholder board, including the chair who is also the school’s diocese representative. In addition, an inspector met with the chair of trustees and members of the trust. 30 March 2022

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  The inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors listened to the views of parents. The 16 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 14 free-text responses were also considered, along with 16 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Lees Ofsted Inspector 30 March 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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